Dancing in the moonlight
by Warmwoollenmittens
Summary: Georg stumbles across Maria dancing with an invisible partner on the terrace one evening and passions are ignited.. Rated M so not for the faint of heart! I've intended this as a one shot. Reviews welcome.
**So I was in the mood for writing a bit of M &G steaminess. I love fanfics that explore the sexual tension between the two characters before they got together so this is my attempt at creating some heat. Please note this is a strong M rating - you've been warned. Please do review.**

The villa was quiet, the evening's hush falling upon it as the children drifted off to sleep in their beds and the last of the staff retired for the night.

Georg enjoyed this part of every evening, the calm that settled over him as he reflected on the day's excitement - a new story told enthusiastically by his children, a new song learnt, a loud family dinner, a knowing smile shared with their governess... He nursed a glass of scotch in the privacy of his study, his jacket removed and his tie loosened, the collar of his shirt slightly undone as he attempted to relax. His desk was scattered with important papers and his mind was unable to focus on a single one of them.

She'd been wearing that dress again, the simple yet elegant blue chiffon that somehow illuminated her eyes... He knew he'd cast his gaze in her direction a few too many times, had allowed his eyes to rake over her for just a bit too long - but he found he couldn't help himself. She radiated happiness, joy, passion, goodness - everything he thought he'd lost and it left him feeling tormented.

She had such fire in her.. She had struck him with her fierce and passionate honesty, the heat radiating from her unashamedly in her confrontations as she had stood dripping wet by the lake berating him only a few weeks ago. It was utterly alluring and his breath caught slightly at the memory, the way her eyes had seemed to burn into him, begging him to see reason, her curves painstakingly visible as the material of her dress had clung to her. So much had changed since then...

Draining the rest of his glass he began putting the papers away irritably, annoyed at himself for letting his mind wander over such improprieties. She was going to be a nun for Christ sake. What use was there in torturing himself this way?

And yet a part of him was sure he hadn't mistaken the blush in her cheeks and the hint of longing in her own eyes whenever he gazed at her...

It was still relatively early but his distracting thoughts were making it almost impossible to focus on anything else that required his attention. He shut off the lamp and left the room, ready to retire to his suite and perhaps read a book or listen to a spot of music to take his mind off things.

He'd recently purchased two gramophones, one for his suite and one for the ballroom. Naturally, as one of the most musical households in Aigen - at least since Fraulein Maria's arrival - it would simply be a travesty not to own one. The children had been delighted and the smile that had adorned the Fraulein's face had been worth every penny. Enough! He scolded himself as he shut the door behind him.

After having locked the study he turned on his heels to make his way across the hall, his shoes clicking slightly against the marble floor. He stopped in his tracks, his brow knitting together in confusion as another faint sound filled the silence around him. It was unmistakably music that he could hear, rather faintly - but where was it coming from? And at this hour? He scoured his surroundings in wonder, turning full circle to see if his ears would locate the source of the music.

His stern expression slackened but confusion remained as his eyes fell on the ballroom doors. They lay slightly ajar as the moonlight shone through them, casting a beam of hazy light into the hallway, beckoning him closer.

He approached the room quickly, with a growing need to see what lay beyond - the music, which he now recognised as the tune that accompanied the Laendler, rang clearly in his ears, though it was still quiet enough to leave the rest of the house oblivious to its graceful beauty.

With caution, so as not to break the mysterious spell the scene was somehow casting over him, he peaked through the gap in the doors. Seeing nothing of consequence, he pushed the door open cautiously and edged into the room. What he saw took his breath away.

His new gramophone stood in the corner, gently releasing each intricate note, crackling slightly as it did so - and the French doors leading to the terrace were drawn open... illuminated by the ethereal glow of the terrace's moonlight and causing his chest to entirely constrict, was his governess. He watched, transfixed, as she danced with an invisible partner - step-hopping and up-and-undering across the terrace as the skirts of her blue dress sashayed around her, entirely in her element.

She hadnt spotted him, and he felt a sudden and overwhelming jealousy as he approached the open doors - a need to replace the invisible partner's body with his own, to place his own hands where the invisible fingers now caressed. She belonged to him, not this invisible scoundrel.

Almost of their own accord, his feet guided him out onto the terrace. Like so many other times in the last few weeks, he found himself hopelessly drawn to her.

"may I cut in?" His baritone voice and piercing gaze broke the spell as she froze mid movement and whirled around to face him.

"That's if your current partner doesn't mind of course..." For some reason he felt nervous in her presence.

Maria willed herself to close her gaping mouth as the intensity of his stare caused the words to stick in her throat. She hadn't expected company, least of all him.

"I'm not sure my current partner is willing to give me up Captain," she finally found her voice with a boldness she didn't quite feel.

"Well that won't do at all," he murmured, taking a step closer to her, his eyes dark with something she didn't quite recognise.

"No?"

He shook his head, stepping closer still, "you see Fraulein, I'm not sure I'm able to take no for an answer.."

Her heart rate quickened as he reached out his hand gingerly in the hope that she'd take it.

His gaze was sending shivers down her spine and she attempted to ignore it as she looked upon his somewhat rakish appearance - he wore no jacket, his sleeves were rolled up and his tie was loosened, revealing the dark curls that the rest of his shirt hid. She felt her mouth go slightly dry at the sight of him but she willed herself to meet his stare as she placed her dainty hand in his larger one.

She apologised for intruding on his terrace without permission and he knew in those moments he would forgive this woman anything. As he pulled her closer, he found himself inhaling her scent and his pulse quickened at her sudden proximity. He choked out his own apology for startling her, daring himself to breathe her in without restraint.

The gramophone continued its soulful melody, stood forgotten in the ballroom as they began the movements of the Laendler. Georg inwardly cursed the beginnings of the dance that required her to stay at arms length - his body ached to pull her closer, longed to feel her pressed against him, to feel the very heat of her.

She twirled effortlessly, her skirts billowing around her for the second time that evening and he felt as though he'd never again have the chance to gaze at something so beautiful.

The beams from the moon cast down on them, illuminating her lithe frame as she moved gracefully to the music, highlighting the alluring curve of her neck, her jawline, her cheekbones. It was a relief to finally drink in the sight of her without the fear of being caught.

He reluctantly tore his eyes from her frame as his cue came to dance around her, clapping to the rhythm and trying desperately to remember his footing.

Maria was suddenly confronted by a familiar fluttering in her stomach as the dance called for her to reach out for the Captain's shoulder. It was such a simple movement and yet the intimacy of it knocked the wind out of her. She suddenly realised she would follow this man anywhere.

When he twirled her round to face him, she was met with his darkened eyes and his jaw set heavily in unspoken frustration.

Georg prayed she hadn't noticed how his teeth were clenched as he fought for control. The warmth of her fingers in his hand felt as though it was searing his skin, leading to thoughts of what they might feel like elsewhere. Unable to stop himself, he pulled her closer possessively by the waist and entwined their fingers above their heads.

The swell of her curves almost undid him as her skirts brushed against his trousers and their hips fused, forcing him to bite back a moan as the warmth of her spread throughout his entire lower body.

He gripped her to him with an insatiable need as they twirled, the heat of their bodies radiating palpably between them. Her wide eyed expression met his penetrating one and they shared a breath as he pulled her closer still, until there was no mistaking the beating of her heart against his own ribs.

Their lips only inches apart, his head was reeling and time seemed to stand still as their eyes bore into each other with a fierce intensity. The dance long forgotten, they stood clinging to each other as if frozen to the spot and he wondered whether his eyes portrayed the overwhelming need that was consuming him. His breath caught as her face betrayed her own inner turmoil and he realised, with a surge of elation, that she felt it too.

"Maria..." He choked out her name in a whispered plea as he clung to her in the moonlight, daring to bring her hand to his heaving chest and covering it with his own, "do you feel how my heart beats for you?" The words tumbled from his mouth before he could stop them, coming out in a rasp.

Maria had scarcely had time to draw a shaky breath before the captain's lips descended on hers fiercely, claiming them possessively as he kissed her into submission. Flames she hadn't known existed erupted in the pit of her stomach and she found herself melting into his advances, all thoughts of propriety vanishing abruptly.

He let out a groan of relief and swept his hands hurriedly into her hair as she allowed him to let go of his inhibitions, opening her mouth to accept him eagerly.

When she suddenly swept her tongue along his bottom lip, a wave of unadulterated lust coursed through him. She seemed to match his every move, her tongue dancing wildly with his as they gripped each other, their hands clawing at each other's bodies hungrily - It was utter madness but he was already drowning.

Maria hardly recognised herself as she clutched at his waist, his chest, his neck with a growing urgency and the total absence of fear, the sensation of his tongue against hers utterly consuming her.

His hands were everywhere, gripping around her waist to pull her flush against him before forming a trail up her torso to eventually palm her breasts defiantly, leaving her head spinning. Georg moaned into her mouth again when he felt her nipples harden under the material of her dress as he fondled them almost roughly, the chiffon rapidly becoming an annoyance as he began to crave her skin.

Maria had never experienced anything so painfully exquisite as they kissed desperately and she boldly lifted herself onto her tip toes to slot her hips more firmly against his. Her movements caused his kisses to deepen even more so in their urgency and mere seconds passed before he pulled one of her legs up to wrap around his thigh in a desperate attempt to be closer to her, his masculine hand holding her in place as he gripped the back of her knee.

She pulled away from his kisses slightly to catch her breath, her lips swollen and her breathing ragged as she gripped his shoulders for support. In her lustful stupor she was vaguely aware of his arousal pressed against her stomach and his hand tugging the zip of her dress down the length of her back in a rush of heat. The sensation thrilled her to her core.

"Mmm more.." Georg murmured impatiently, burying his face in her neck in the absence of her lips, fearful that she had pulled away to end their madness. But his worries were soon quelled when her mouth descended on his again.

Overwhelmed with lust, he obliged eagerly, nipping at her bottom lip as she swayed her hips further into him in a flagrant invitation she didn't know she was capable of. She was delighted to hear the guttural moan that escaped his throat and she allowed him to hastily draw her other leg up around his waist and lift her off the ground, grasping at her backside to support her weight.

He had hoped to shelter her from his desires, to hide the truth from her for fear that she'd run away from him, but as she clung to him with a desperate longing he realised he had been the naive one. Her torment hadn't been born from fear of what she saw in his eyes, but from an equal need for him. A need that he was powerless to stop.

In a desperate attempt to free his hands for other alluring activities, Georg rushed their entwined bodies forward until Maria's lithe frame was pinned against the wall of the villa. Using his hips to hold her there, his hands were free to explore her pert breasts again, and he gave a grunt of frustration, desperately wanting to unleash them from their chiffon prison. Almost as if she had read his thoughts, Maria ended their kiss and hurriedly pulled the front of her dress away from her upper half and down her arms, her heart hammering as she allowed the garment to pool around her waist where their bodies met. His eyes widened in sheer disbelief and his panted breaths became erratic as she did the same with her undergarments, revealing her naked breasts to him.

His hungry eyes raked over her bare skin, drinking in the sight of her as a slight blush crept up her neck into her cheeks. He felt the last strands of morality break as his body gave in to the overwhelming need he felt for the beauty before him. As he observed her in all her irresistible vulnerability, he saw that her eyes were dark with lust and he realised she had already surrendered herself to instinct. She was following her body's desires without question or restraint and the thought affected him deeply.

"God have mercy you are beautiful.." He groaned as his lips crashed against hers, fondling her soft mounds, his thumbs soon sweeping over her nipples until they hardened under his caresses. She arched into his touch eagerly as his tongue traced the same path his fingers had, swirling and suckling the pink apexes as she moaned her approval, leaving him almost unbearably aroused. Her entwined fingers at the base of his neck pulled him closer, encouraging his advances as his tongue lit a fiery path in its wake.

Still revelling in the discovery that his Maria was bold and unashamed, Georg looked on in awe as he felt her nimble fingers working furiously at his shirt buttons before frantically pushing the offending garment down his arms and onto the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck again and pulled him back against her heaving chest in an attempt to experience flesh on flesh and she panted deeply into his mouth when her breasts pressed firmly against him.

Georg felt as though he were dreaming as she gyrated in his arms, her hardened nipples utterly tantalising against his bare skin. Surely this was another one of his lustful dreams about her that had so often caused him to wake in the night with a shout? Surely he was in the midst of another wild and unobtainable fantasy? He gripped at the velvety flesh of her thighs to make sure she was real, to make sure that her body really was wrapped around him, her skirts bunched up around their waists as their tongues danced. His body was aching, throbbing to be with her entirely, he could hardly contain his need.

He realised that what he was feeling was more than just lust - he needed her on a primal level, he desperately needed to become one with her, to cross the boundary into lovers, to lead her into the fire and mark each other as equal. He couldn't take her there without knowing it meant just as much to her, that she wasn't giving up her virtue on a passing moment of weakness.

He stilled abruptly and broke their kiss, ceasing all movement other than the light stroking of his thumbs against her legs. He was painfully aware of the heat emanating from her core against his lower torso in the absence of his shirt, but he willed himself to think. She whimpered impatiently, seeking his lips but he delayed his response, instead resting his forehead against hers as they shared the air around them through their panted breaths.

"Maria..." He murmured, meeting her eyes to wordlessly ask permission, needing to be sure. She nodded hurriedly, holding his face in her hands, and he saw in her eyes an unconscious look of determination that pleaded with him to continue.

"I need to hear you say it my darling," Georg rasped, kissing her chastely as he gasped for breath.

She saw the torment in his eyes, the guilt he felt in giving in to his need, and she felt a deep longing to reassure him. What they were doing to each other - what they were sharing for the first time - it felt like the purest, most beautiful thing she had ever experienced.

"Please Georg.." She whispered, the sound of his name on her lips for the first time sending white hot lust through him, "I need you."

The tension in his body gave way to utter relief at her confession, their mouths meeting once more in a fierce dual of tongues and moans and heat. He could hardly believe it was happening - he knew in those moments that he loved her, that what had been tormenting him these past few weeks was an unrequited, forbidden love for the woman in his arms. It filled him with such desperation that he burned all over, tasting her as though her lustful sighs kept him breathing.

Somewhere amidst the madness and the fumbling of desperate fingers, his remaining clothes were suddenly pooled at his ankles and her underwear lay abandoned somewhere on the ground. He frantically scooped her back up into their entwined embrace and bunched her skirts up amidst their waists again, too desperate for skin to skin contact for the garment to have been removed entirely.

The heat climbed around them as they gyrated against the wall and as he pressed his naked body against every inch of hers, he had to bite back a shout as his painfully hard arousal brushed against the slick heat between her thighs.

He intended to slow his advances, to delay the joining of their bodies in case it frightened her.. But all of a sudden she shifted slightly in his arms and he felt the tip of his length sink into the heat of her. It had happened quite accidentally - most likely due to a combination of the access their position granted him, and the slickness emanating from her body - but he was helpless to stop it. With a shout of urgency he couldn't contain, he gave in to the unadulterated need pulsing through his veins and drove deeper into her until she sheathed him entirely.

Maria had given her own shout of surprise as he'd entered her, the slight pain soon giving way to the most superb feeling of completion, of being stretched and filled. He held still and almost instantly her body ached for something more, it ached for even more contact, even more intimacy. Acting entirely on her body's needs, she began shifting in his arms, eager for the friction the movement caused.

She whimpered impatiently at his stillness, seeking his lips and bucking her hips against him. Georg breathed sharply, holding himself still not only to allow her to get used to the sensation but also to calm himself down - they were in serious danger of it being over all too soon.

"Hush my love, I need to savour you," he choked out against her cheek in an attempt to reassure her, kissing her jaw, her neck, her ear and back to her lips again in a passionate frenzy. It wasn't enough, it could never be enough. He wanted all of her, body and soul.

He couldn't hold back the groan that escaped him as he drank in the sight of her with her swollen lips, the heat of her, the smell of her as she trembled in his arms, her eyes squeezed tight shut as she breathed through her unashamed arousal.

"Look at me Maria."

Her eyes met his and what she saw there immediately frightened as well as thrilled her: lust, admiration, devotion, anguish.. Love? She felt like she would burst into flames from the intensity of it. His dark eyes bore into hers as he began moving inside her with deep, urgent thrusts that left no doubt in her mind that she belonged to him completely. Her breathing hitched, clinging to him desperately as she shuddered against him and felt an unfamiliar pleasure building inside her.

He gasped in lungfuls of air as he drove into her, grunting her name as each thrust sent a bolt of electricity down his spine. It had been far too long and it took all his self control to make it last, afraid that he wouldn't get another chance like this to show her how badly he needed her.

She bucked her hips against his movements, pulling him closer still. She was wrecking him effortlessly and as her own breathing became shallower and she murmured his name repeatedly, he felt the last strands of his resolve break. It was do or die - he needed to fill her, to spill into her and claim her entirely.

Gathering her closer into his arms, his mouth devoured hers with a guttural moan, their tongues battling for dominance as he quickened their rhythm to a desperate level. Thrusting urgently in and out of her, he poured everything he had into their kiss, swallowing her groans and whimpers like nectar. He felt every muscle in his body tighten with need as the telltale signs of his impending orgasm began to surface.

He willed himself to delay the inevitable so he could be with her just that bit longer, but suddenly her own muscles clamped down around him in spasm as she cried out his name, causing him to completely come undone. Entirely helpless, his body gave way and he let out a strangled yell as he spilled himself into her, allowing the explosive shudders to claim his body. He clutched her to him possessively as though she might suddenly disappear, their panted breaths mingling as they shared the oxygen around them.

They stilled against the wall, fused at the hips and gasping, his head buried in her chest and an "I love you" tumbling from his lips before he could suppress it.

They stayed that way for long minutes as they gradually came back to themselves and somewhere beyond the thick fog clouding her brain, Maria registered the words the captain had uttered. It hit her square in the chest, knocking the air out of her lungs.

He had said he loved her. As if it was the most natural statement in the world. He'd said those three words with such spontaneity that she wondered if he'd even realised he'd uttered them. He couldn't possibly love her - the governess, the mountain girl. She may have been naive but she knew how these things were supposed to go, she'd heard stories of aristocratic men that took up physical relationships with the help while marrying someone else for wealth or circumstance. She had given herself fully to him because she loved him - she knew it now with all her heart - but she'd surrendered to the longing in the knowledge that he would never truly be hers. She'd given him her body because she knew she could never have his heart. But now, in the afterglow of their pleasure, the meaning of his outburst seemed to echo around the silence, buzzing in her ears. Love wasn't supposed to come into it...

As his body gave way to exhaustion he gathered her gently in his arms and carried her indoors to the settee by the grand piano, laying her down on the soft fabric and covering her body with his own, peppering her face with kisses. He felt euphoric, unwilling and unable to move away from her.

He felt her go still in his arms and he pulled away to search her face for the reason as to why. Her eyes were full of angst and it seemed as though she was biting back words that threatened to escape her lips.

"Sweetheart, what is it?" He whispered, stroking his knuckles across her cheek, his brow knitted with worry. He prayed she didn't regret what they'd just shared - it had been unbelievable, the relief of finally being able to hold her in his arms.

"I have to go," she stated suddenly, pulling away from him and hurriedly scooping up her dress, pulling the garment to her body while she searched for her underthings, "I mustn't stay."

Georg felt utterly bewildered as he watched her rush to get away from him, her movements panicked and anguished as she gathered her belongings.

"Maria!" He called to her repeatedly, his brow furrowed as she ignored him. Getting nothing but silence in return, he eventually approached her and grasped her by the arms to still her erratic movements.

"Maria stop! What are you doing?"

Her face was riddled with torment, her eyes pooling with pain.

"You can't love me Georg!" She cried, "you can't!"

Georg realised he must've confessed his feelings out loud in the throes of their intimacy. He had felt his love for her with such intensity that the words had spilled out uninhibited. And it had frightened her.

"Of course I can! And I do!" He said fiercely, tightening his grip on her bare skin, "I've loved you since that day by the lake! Lord knows I've tried to fight it Maria, to spare you the turmoil, to spare myself the guilt, to spare both of us. But trying to deny it has been almost as painful as the last time I tried to conceal my feelings.."

She knew all too well what he meant - the heartache he'd felt in losing his wife had caused him to shut out the world around him, to abandon his children and to hide behind a mask of formality. And now as she stared into his dark eyes, the heat and passion in them painfully evident, she realised his feelings for her had left him anguished a second time.

"I regret nothing of what we just shared!" He continued, almost shaking her with his desperation, "and if you are ashamed of it, if you are ashamed of what you know in your heart is real and honest and true and beautiful.. Then you are cruel Maria."

He trailed off and let go of her arms, unable to find the words, his eyes conveying the hurt he couldn't express.

She observed him in silence, her chest heaving. She knew exactly what he meant - the complete euphoria, the relief, the flood of repressed longing, passion, desire, love - all finally being unleashed as they became one for the first time. It had been the purest thing she'd ever experienced. But it couldn't happen again.

"Please tell me you don't regret it," Georg looked at her again and she saw so much pain behind his eyes, his forehead creased with such anguish, that she knew she couldn't lie to him.

"I'll never regret it for as long as I live," she whispered as tears threatened to fall, "I'll remember it always because... I love you too. I do love you Georg, of course I do."

He let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and moved to take her in his arms but she backed away from him abruptly, "but I cannot stay," she whispered, "I cannot sit idly by and watch you marry another. I will never be content with only joining you in your marital bed when your wife's back is turned. Perhaps I am greedy, selfish even.. But it will never be enough to love you from afar."

She wiped away frustrated tears, oblivious to his sudden proximity as he hurriedly gathered her into his arms, kissing her with such passion she thought she might collapse.

"Oh Maria, you beautiful fool," he murmured against her lips as they broke for air, "I couldn't possibly marry another when I'm so hopelessly in love with you! It's been you from the very beginning my Fraulein.. it will always be you."

She gave a little sob of relief which was soon muffled by his lips again, another drugging kiss that ignited the familiar flames in the pit of her stomach.

"Stay with me sweetheart.. Please," he whispered.

Her answer was in her kiss.


End file.
